Latest news with #SingaporeTransport
CNA
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- CNA
First train unveiled for Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link; service will run from 6am to 12am
SINGAPORE: The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link marked another milestone with the unveiling of the line's first train on Monday (Jun 30). Manufactured by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CCRC), each train will have a standing capacity of 607 passengers, and can carry up to about 1,000 passengers at peak hours. The first trains will depart from each end of the line at 6am, while the last trains will depart at 12am each day. The line is expected to have a peak capacity of 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction. The 4km journey between Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru will take about 5 minutes, with the shortest wait for a train being 3.6 minutes. There will be a total of eight trains when the RTS Link starts service at the target date of December 2026, the transport ministries of Singapore and Malaysia said in a joint press statement. The first train was assembled at CCRC's facility in China, and delivered to Jurong Port on Apr 3. Since then, it has been at the Singapore Rail Test Centre preparing for offsite system integration testing. During this phase of testing, operator RTS Operations will check the integration between the train and other rail systems, most critically the signalling system, as well as platform screen doors and onboard communications. Offsite testing will start in July and take about four months, before the train is moved to the RTS Link tracks for onsite testing with the seven other trains. Of the remaining seven trains, four have been delivered to CCRC's facility in Malaysia's Batu Gajah and are being assembled there. This process will be replicated for the last three trains. FIRST LOOK AT THE TRAIN Media were given a preview of the RTS Link train by RTS Operations, a joint venture between SMRT RTS and Prasarana RTS Operations. The driverless train runs at a maximum speed of 80kmh and is powered by a Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) system, which refers to a system that runs fully automatically without any operating staff on board. The deployment of staff on board the trains for other purposes, such as customer service, is still under consideration. Each train is 76m long and 2.7m wide, and consists of four cars with three doors on each side. There are a total of 126 fixed seats and 16 pop-up seats. When passengers arrive at the station to start their journey, they will pass through automatic fare gates with an open-loop payment system that accepts various forms of payment. They will then pass through all the necessary immigration and customs checks at the station where they are boarding. For example, passengers taking the RTS Link from Woodlands North will pass through Singapore's immigration checks, followed by Malaysia's, before boarding the train for Bukit Chagar. This is to prevent the build-up of crowds at the destination station, where passengers can simply exit after passing through the fare gates. Due to the short duration of the journey, passengers are expected to hold on to their own luggage, and there are no racks for storage. In a first for trains in Singapore and Malaysia, RTS Link trains will feature a hearing induction loop system that allows passengers with hearing aids to hear public announcements on the train. The move is meant to enhance safety and inclusivity on board. Other security measures include cameras on the train, and boxing up of the areas below the seats, in order to reduce areas where objects can be hidden.
CNA
16-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow wants to make Singaporeans proud of their public transport system
SINGAPORE: Among Mr Jeffrey Siow's many goals for his newly started tenure as acting Transport Minister, one stands out: To make Singaporeans proud of their public transport system. This pride is evident in Singapore's aviation and maritime sectors, but with public transport, there is room to improve sentiments, said Mr Siow in a wide-ranging interview with media earlier in June, covering topics from long-term plans to recent issues. 'On the public transport side, we can do a lot more, and we will work,' he said. 'It does mean, of course, you must make sure that the public transport side, we run the system as well as we have run the air and sea systems.' The former senior civil servant, who was in the Ministry of Transport (MOT) from 2012 to 2017, said he was motivated by how his current portfolio is a 'very meaningful' one - where his work is felt by everyone. 'Whether you walk, take the train, take the bus, drive, or even when you travel, you go to the airport, or you get goods delivered from overseas because you shop online … transport matters,' said Mr Siow. He said that decisions in the transport realm can be especially palpable. For instance, when he was at MOT as a civil servant, he had a hand in the Thomson-East Coast Line project. 'Now I'm taking the train that we said we would design in that way. In that manner, it became a tangible reality,' said Mr Siow. The very visible transformation of ideas into reality will also be captured in mega projects such as Changi Airport's Terminal 5 and the Tuas Port - both announced when he was in the transport ministry. 'So it's real, it's tangible, it is easy to do work when you feel that whatever you are doing matters,' he said. But he also acknowledged that with all that, comes increased scrutiny. 'Everybody has an opinion on whether or not you're doing things right, and I am not short on conversations with people about issues, and I enjoy it very much,' he said. These conversations even include discussions with his mother on transport-related topics. TAKING ON A "HOT POTATO" MINISTRY Since taking on the acting minister role on May 23, several hot-button transport issues have already emerged. On May 29, a 49-year-old private-hire driver died from a stroke, igniting discussion on whether the long hours put in by drivers could be better managed or regulated. On Jun 3, SMRT was slapped with a S$3 million (US$2.33 million) fine over a major East-West Line disruption in September last year. On Jun 6, a container barge ran aground off Tanjong Beach in Sentosa. Then on Jun 11, Jetstar Asia, one of two locally-run low-cost carriers, announced it would cease operations on July 31. On how he keeps a cool head with such issues coming in thick and fast, Mr Siow said it was all to be expected. 'People are interested, and that's why they care about what's happening. 'It does mean we have to maybe work at a higher cadence, to respond, to explain, … to persuade, to inspire, and in some ways, to be ready,' he added. He said he sees this positively. 'I would rather be doing something that people care about, incidents notwithstanding, and doing things that help people, make sure that they are well taken care of, and improve their lives.' Mr Siow noted that by nature, some issues are 'zero-sum', such as how to decide on the best bus route. 'I can, of course, draw the bus route to cover everybody, but that means the bus (route) is very long,' he said. 'I know I won't be able to please everyone, it's not possible ... But I will try to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people. That's my objective.' Mr Siow revealed that he takes public transport to his workplaces at the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance - where he is also a Senior Minister of State - 'whenever I can'. 'It's helpful to actually see things for yourself,' he said. 'Whenever I see something … LTA is kept a little bit busy.' TO-DO LIST Mr Siow also laid out some of his plans for the next five years. One is to ensure residents of Housing Board towns further away from the city have better connectivity. He said during an interview earlier in June that the time taken to travel by public transport from Tengah to the city area was two to three times longer than that of car rides, and that he aimed to cut this down to one to two times longer. 'You could apply that to Punggol, you could apply that to Jurong West, you could apply that to Pasir Ris … where I think the public transport journey time is not as competitive relative to taking a car,' he said on Jun 11. He added that ensuring better bus connectivity to train stations would be key here, while also boosting Singapore's car-lite vision. 'It's a virtuous cycle … demand for private transport would be balanced, it will become less (and) public transport will be more viable and attractive." CELEBRATING TRANSPORT In the same vein as making Singaporeans fall in love with the public transport system, Mr Siow also hopes that there can be more thorough appreciation for Singapore's transport history. 'Transport is, in fact, very much part of the Singapore Story,' he said. 'There is a reason why in many major cities - New York, London, Tokyo - they all have a transportation museum.' In Singapore, there is a 'mini transport museum' at the Land Transport Authority's headquarters at Hampshire Road. Called the SG Mobility Gallery, it is where schoolchildren go on excursions, but Mr Siow hopes more transport artefacts from Singapore's history can be displayed there. He said he had noticed general interest in such memorabilia, citing Knackstop, an initiative where public transport merchandise such as model trains and transport-themed keychains are sold at vending machines around Singapore. In looking back at the past, the aim is to instill pride in a system Mr Siow described as unique to Singapore. 'If I can bring that love and pride in our transportation system back ... I think some of the more difficult things we have to do, some of the supposed problems we have to address in the future - I think we'll be able to better manage."
